Another 51 homes could soon be added to the Jamestown at Old Perkins development in south Baton Rouge. The city-parish’s planning commission approved conceptual plans Monday for a 8-acre portion of the site at Perkins Road and Pecue Lane that will be called Jamestown Square.

The Alvarez Construction Co. is already building nearly 300 homes in the subdivision, at the Lakes at Jamestown and Villas at Jamestown developments.

The latest development would include homes of about 2,000 to 2,400 square feet, selling for $270,000 to $300,000, said developer Carlos Alvarez.

One neighbor spoke in opposition to the plan, saying a new neighborhood next door would detract from his quality of life and would bring down his property value, since the new homes would be smaller than his.

The planning commission also approved changes to some of the parish’s parking requirements on Monday, so that some businesses that don’t need much parking aren’t required to build spaces that will remain empty.

Among the changes, a “specialty restaurant” that only sells one type of food – like a yogurt shop or hot dog stand – would be classified separately from other restaurants and require less parking. In addition, off-site parking that’s within 800 feet of a business could count toward its parking requirement.